‘Apollo 13’ an accurate depiction of 1970 lunar mission
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Failure was not an option. With the lives of three American astronauts hanging in the balance, America, and the world, watched as flight controllers and the crew worked to overcome the many problems of the April 1970 space flight of Apollo 13. The real-life drama became a full-length motion picture in 1995.
Though focused primarily on NASA's third manned lunar-landing mission,
"Apollo 13" captures history and the mood of the nation in 1970 as the space agency worked for the safe return of the astronauts following an onboard explosion. The film was adapted from the book, "Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13," by former astronaut Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger.
Opening with the tragic Jan. 27, 1967 fire aboard Apollo 1 during pre-flight testing that claimed the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, "Apollo 13" transitions to July 20, 1969 at the Houston home of Jim and Marilyn Lovell and live news coverage of Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong as he becomes the first man to walk on the Moon.
Lovell (Tom Hanks), a veteran astronaut, had flown in Gemini 7, Gemini 12 and Apollo 8 (the first manned mission to orbit the Moon). He was slated to be Mission Commander of Apollo 14, but his crew was bumped up in the rotation.
After months of intense training, Lovell and his crew, including Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise), are ready for the journey to the Fra Mauro Formation. Two days before launch, Mattingly is grounded because of exposure to rubella. His replacement, Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon), is quickly brought up to speed.
Apollo 13 was launched on April 11, 1970. Two days into the mission, an oxygen tank explosion in the service module (SM) changed the flight plan from a lunar landing to survival. With the command/service module (CSM) oxygen supply venting into space, the crew transferred guidance information to the lunar module (LM) computer. For the remainder of the mission, the LM would serve as the crew's lifeboat in space.
Flight controllers in Houston met with White Team Flight Director Gene Kranz (Ed Harris) to discuss options for the safe return of the crew. The team concluded a free-return-to-Earth trajectory was the safest solution. The crippled spacecraft would make one pass into lunar orbit and slingshot around on its path back home with the aid of a few engine burns for course correction.
With CSM systems completely shut down, the crew, now in the LM, works with Mission Control to overcome several problems including control of the spacecraft itself. To conserve electrical power in the LM, the crew had to endure dark, damp and extremely cold conditions for several days. NASA engineers at Mission Control also had to solve the problem of saturated carbon dioxide filters on the LM.
While the crew and flight controllers overcame numerous situations, Mattingly, who had not contracted the measles, was summoned to create a power-up procedure for the command module (CM) to allow a safe re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. Mattingly perfected the sequence in the flight simulator and later relayed the information to the flight crew while serving as capsule communicator (CAPCOM) at Mission Control.
The story is told from three points of view: the Apollo 13 crew in space, Mission Control flight controllers and the Lovell family. Marilyn Lovell (Kathleen Quinlan) must deal with her children (three at home and a son at military school), her mother-in-law (a recent stroke victim) and frequent visits from NASA representatives as she periodically listens to mission communication via a squawk box installed in the Lovell home.
Throughout the saga, actual 1970 news reports from the national TV networks are revived as the crew's families stay informed with constant updates. Footage includes Chet Huntley, Jules Bergman, Walter Cronkite and former astronaut Wally Schirra.
The film stayed mainly true to life. There were a few scenes with enhanced dialogue for dramatic effect, but overall, the film is an accurate portrayal of events. Director Ron Howard pushed for technical authenticity and had NASA's cooperation. The spacecraft (including interiors), simulators and Mission Control sets were all built to specification with meticulous detail. Cast members, including astronauts and flight controllers, participated in special training prior to filming. To replicate weightlessness in space, many scenes were shot onboard NASA's KC-135, a specially-designed aircraft used for performing zero-gravity maneuvers. Howard also chose not to use NASA stock footage of the launch and other sequences, instead using computer-generated visuals that were perfect reproductions of the real thing.
The Apollo 13 mission was termed a "successful failure" for the safe return of the crew despite the aborted Moon landing. The film version tells the story and is worth watching again and again.
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Tom Laub is the Lifestyles Editor of The Sentinel.